"There is much that a community needs to know that is not in that exchange of information. That is where journalists can and should add value, by asking questions that are not already answered — that is, with reporting and investigation; by adding context and explanation; by finding and including expertise in the discussion; by weighing trust and authority; by checking facts and debunking assumptions and rumors; by making information accessible through narrative or visualization; and by packaging and presenting through editing, curation, and discovery.

Most of those skills are old: what journalists have long done, only now made faster. Some skills are new, enabled by technology: presenting data for the public to interrogate; making tools; convening discussion; organizing activities. So, yes, there is a need for journalists.